The present invention relates to enhancements for vertical blinds, an more particularly to a curtain attachment for such blinds.
Vertical window blinds are well known, and such blinds having fabric or other sheet material attached as a curtain are also known, being disclised, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,844,330 to Hyman, U.S. Pat. No. 3,851,699 to Shapiro, U.S. Pat. No. 5,439,042 to Ohanesian, U.S. Pat. No. 5,638,881 to Ruggles et al., and U.S. Pat. No. 6,186,213 to Senesac. A principal disadvantage of the devices disclosed in each of these patents is that specific structure of the blinds is adapted for attachment of the curtain; consequently they do not provide a practical means for converting conventional vertical blinds not having such structure. Also, installation of the blind with the curtain assembled therewith unnecessarily exposes the curtain to soiling and/or damage. U.S. Pat. No. 5,715,883 to Keith discloses a similar combination wherein the curtain is formed with pockets for receiving upper extremities of respective vanes, the vanes being inserted into the pockets prior to assembly into a support mechanism of the blinds. This arrangement also is not entirely satisfactory in that the assembly operation is cumbersome, and extra labor of disassembly is required when the curtain is to be installed on previously assembled blinds. Further, the extra handling of the curtain that is needed during assembly of the vanes is likely to result in objectionable soiling of the curtain.
Thus there is a need for a curtain attachment for vertical blinds that avoids the disadvantages of the prior art.
The present invention meets this need by providing a curtain attachment that does not rely on specially adapted supporting structure of the blinds, and which can be attached to the parallel-spaced vanes of assembled blinds without modification thereof. In one aspect of the invention, the curtain attachment includes a vane cover having at least four longitudinal panel portions, an interior adjacent plurality of the panel portions having a main panel width being not less than a vane width of the blinds plus half of a stem spacing between the vanes; and first fastener means for removably connecting each of the panel portions to an adjacent one of the panel portions with the adjacent panel portions folded over opposite sides of a corresponding vane along a front edge thereof, the first fastener means being spaced opposite stem member of the vane from the front edge for retaining the vane cover proximate the front edge of the vane member. The first fastener means can include a hook-loop fastener. The curtain attachment can also include respective laterally spaced first tab members connected to and projecting from alternate ones of the panel portions with the first fastener means removably connecting each of the second tab members to a corresponding adjacent panel portion. The first tab member can be folded over respective end edges of the vanes, projecting between the vanes and the adjacent panel members, the first fastener means being covered by the vane cover.
The curtain attachment can also include second fastener means for connecting the adjacent panel portions between the stem member and the front edge of the corresponding vanes. The second fastener means can also include a hook-loop fastener, and/or respective laterally spaced second tab members connected to and projecting from alternate ones of the panel portions in laterally spaced relation to the first fastener means, the second fastener means preferably removably connecting each of the second tab members to a corresponding adjacent panel portion to permit an unfolded condition of the vane cover. Further, the second tab members can be folded over the end edge of the vane with the second fastener means being covered by the vane cover. Alternatively, the second fastener means can include respective seams connecting facing adjacent panel portions.
The curtain attachment can also include third fastener means for connecting the adjacent panel portions opposite the stem members of the vanes. The third fastener means can include a hook-loop fastener and/or respective laterally spaced third tab members connected to and projecting from alternate ones of the panel portions opposite the first tab members, the third fastener means removably connecting each of the third tab members to a corresponding adjacent panel portion. The third tab members can also be folded over an opposite end edge of each vane, projecting between the vane and the adjacent panel members, the third fastener means being covered by the vane cover.
In another aspect of the invention, the curtain attachment includes a rectangular vane cover having at least four laterally contiguous longitudinal panel portions; respective laterally spaced first tab members connected to and projecting from alternate ones of the panel portions proximate respective ends thereof; a first plurality of hook-loop fasteners for removably connecting each of the first tab members to a corresponding adjacent panel portion, one hook-loop element being affixed to each of the first tab members, a mating hook-loop element being affixed to the adjacent panel portion and oriented for effecting the connection with the vane cover being folded between the adjacent panel portions and with the first tab portions folded over, the first fastener means being spaced from the fold between the adjacent panel portions; respective laterally spaced second tab members connected to and projecting from alternate ones of the panel portions in laterally spaced relation to the first tab members; a second plurality of hook-loop fasteners for removably connecting each of the second tab members to a corresponding adjacent panel portion, one hook-loop element being affixed to the second tab members, a mating hook-loop element being affixed to the adjacent panel portion and oriented for effecting the connection with the second tab portions folded over, the second tab members being located between corresponding ones of the first tab members and corresponding folds between the adjacent panel portions, and spaced from the first tab members; respective laterally spaced third tab members connected to and projecting from alternate ones of the panel portions opposite the first and second tab members; and a third plurality of hook-loop fasteners for removably connecting each of the third tab members to a corresponding adjacent panel portion with the third tab members folded over, the first, second, and third tab members projecting between the corresponding adjacent panel portions, the hook-loop fasteners being covered by the vane cover. A first reinforcing tape can be connected to the vane cover along the ends of the panel portions, the first and second tab members and one element of each of the first and second hook-loop fasteners being affixed to the first reinforcing tape. A second reinforcing tape can also be connected to the vane cover along opposite ends of the panel portions, the third tab members and one element of each of the third hook-loop fasteners being affixed to the second reinforcing tape.